The Good: Pours nice deep golden, almost amber hue, with a nice head. Plenty of malt sweetness in this brew, and a subtle bitterness to pull it all together. I could see myself cracking one of these with the guys after band practice.

The Bad: I wouldn’t really class this as an IPA myself. It’s got the malt back bone and the bitterness for balance, but the thing is, without the big ABV of a standard IPA, you don’t need too much bitterness. Also, I could have gone a bit more hop aroma given the bottle states it’s inspired by US session IPAs.

Enjoyment: Perfectly serviceable as a BBQ beer or general crowd pleaser. For mine though, it just doesn’t “feel” like an IPA, it’s really taking me more towards an amber ale: Malt sweetness, darker hue, not a huge hop nose in my opinion. Not a bad beer by any stretch, but not what I’m looking for in an IPA.

However, I did then try it with some spicy noodles, and this did really match up nicely. The sweetness of the malt cut straight through, and the hops I longed for did pop that little bit more.

It’s time to hit the surf with another great IPA from one of my favourite breweries, Blackman’s in Torquay.

The Good: Bright fresh aromas and a mild bitterness make this an extremely refreshing brew. The use of salt water in this IPA isn’t something I’ve come across before, but it creates an almost savory character in the aftertaste. I’ve tried this on tap at the brewery and from the tin, and can faithfully confirm this as a great brew.

The Bad: Maybe the finish with the salt water might be a bit much for the more casual beer drinker, but I quite liked it.

Enjoyment: This is the perfect drop for a warm afternoon. It’s the classic “I went back again” type of beer, so I obviously enjoy it quite a bit. 100% transparency, I would say my preference is Blackman’s Reginald IPA, but that’s only because it’s one of my faves. If you want to try something genuinely unique and genuinely good, then give this one a bash.

Tonight I popped in for a quick pint at the good beer bar in Geelong, and as I often do here, I opted for Blackmans’ flagship IPA, Reginald.

This place always has always offered a chilled vibe, even when it’s filling up. It’s the perfect place for a quiet pint before dinner (which is often at Pistol Pete’s, another little Malop St standard). So what to choose you ask? A pint before dinner sets the whole tone of the evening, so for me that’s often called for a good IPA.

Blackmans make a great IPA they call Reginald. The draw from this IPA is the lingering bitterness (and also from a brewing perspective, one of the most exceptional colours on a beer I’ve seen in a long time - I love the almost rust shade with a nice creamy head, even if it’s more suited to an American pale).

This venue seems to be able to operate on single employee every time I’m here. It always amazes me. Guess this guy just pees in a pint glass behind the bar?

To finish (because that IPA went down waaay too well), I tried a pot of the 8 wired farmhouse ale. This was a little bit of a game changer for me. I’ve often found farmhouse ales and saisons to be somewhat sour (I throw them in together because honestly, I can’t really tell them apart). Maybe that worry about being too sour is just me being a baby? I don’t know, because I’ve never tried to brew one. But this farmhouse from 8 wired was exceptional. So light, perfectly balanced, and ultimately thirst quenching. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves some of the standards like Stone & Wood Pacific or Kaiju Krush. It’s a step away from these sort of flavours, but it’s in the same ball park, and I’m sure you can make the jump people.

Other notable mentions in my recent trips to this out of the way venue include the watermelon gose, and the when they have it on tap, I love blackmans’ own wit beer (it’s called Bob my friends).

Great spot to chill out for a few quiet ones with friends or to kick start a good night out (nobody mentioned the beav next door right...? Some sort of don’t ask don’t tell policy work for you?) Excellent...

I was impressed to see this beer was brewed with oats and maize alongside the barley malt in the grain bill, and with the stars of the show crystal, mosaic and chinook hops up front, I was ready to be wowed.

The Good: Really fresh aromas as soon as you crack the can, and such a bold malt flavour was great to see. This is not what I picture in my head when I think of a lager, but I mean that in the best possible way. Clean refreshing taste, with a nice subtle citrus aroma. Oh and the grain bill includes oats and maize (corn), which of course as a home brewer I rate very highly.

The Bad: I only had one of these in the fridge.

Enjoyment: By far the best beer I’ve tried from Australian brewery. Crisp and refreshing like a lager should be, but in no way boring like the standard commercial waters (oops I mean lagers, commercial lagers…).

The can art is quite fun, initially I wondered if there was going to be a little chilli in this brew due to all the scorpions. Not to be, maybe that could be a great idea for a seasonal, Australian Brewery you’ve got my number...

I could happily kick back on a warm summers day and share a few of these with some mates, would be awesome for a garden party in the late arvo this summer too. Paddy’s new beer garden might get a work soon I think!

Another great example of the modern Australian Pale Ale. Ready for the pending BBQ season.

The Good: Great hop combo of Cascade and Galaxy. Super refreshing beer, an Australian pale ale for an Aussie barbie. I like the lingering bitterness too. This is a good pale to keep in the fridge for when mates pop over. Nicely balanced too.

The Bad: This strikes me as a bit of a sleeper beer, it's so refreshing like a session beer, buts its actually 1.5 standard in the Australian measure. As long as you go in knowing what you've got, no issue.

Enjoyment: I feel like this beer would make a lot of top 20 lists. Again, it's really well balanced and it is enjoyable, but it doesn't have any defining element to make it stand out from the pack. It's a great brew, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't expect it's about to explode into the scene either.

I'd happily stock up an eski with these, bring the mates around and fire up the Weber, and I dare say there'll be a few of these in the caravan park recycling bins come New Year's Day.

Jump in the water and stay drunk all the time. If it’s good enough for canned heat, it’s good enough for this, the best brew I’ve tasted in months, and one that will melt your brain at how a single hop IPA can hit so many flavours and still have a wonderful bitterness to back it all up.

The Good: Did somebody say tropical fruit? Good lord the aroma coming off this clean pouring IPA is without peer! It’s truly like smelling the hop pellets while standing at the bar. Ultra refreshing, strong bitter hit with a nice light malty back bone, with just a hint of biscuity flavour to really let those hops pop. Weighing in at a hefty 7.0% and served in a half litre can, this is one to enjoy, not to session, but it’s so good, I think we’ll still give it a crack.

Fresh, bright, hop forward as you expect in a great IPA, but not lacking at all in malty goodness either. A spectacular brew for all the hop heads out there, just a damn good beer.

Oh and obviously as the name suggests, this beer is packed so full of mosaic hops it could sink an ex PM’s tilt at the top job through sheer weight alone.

The Bad: If you don’t like this drop you can go jump mate, there’s nothing negative about this bad boy. Anyone who doesn’t like this should go give cider a try, beer is just not for you.

Enjoyment: As you might have already picked through my subtle and balanced review, Paddy and I quite enjoyed this hoppy number. I don’t even have to imagine it, I’m sitting on the deck, drinking this IPA ice cold outside in the sunshine, with the birds chirping and a little rolling stones for good measure. This brew makes you sit bolt upright, and chills you right out at the exact same time. This beer is so good, I already want to start looking up clone recipes now before I’ve finished writing. No question we will be breaking out the robobrew any day now for this one, to try get a keg of something even a shadow of this tapped in the beer fridge would make us very very happy at Suburban Brewing indeed.

I cannot stress this enough, if two birds taco is Paddy’s all time favorite beer (And we all know it is), I’m betting my bottom dollar this is next cab off the rank. I’m so impressed, I have to say this is top of my list for now. I don’t care about the price, this is getting into the beer fridge irrespective.

A final thought, as this is a reasonably high ABV, I like to drink it out of a wide mouthed goblet style glass. The reasoning is that with higher ABV beers, the wider mouth opens up the aroma and lets you really enjoy it. I must say this brew would smell fantastic if you served it out of a 1980’s Vegemite glass, but gee it really does blow your mind in these wide open chimay goblets.

The Good: That oh so familiar yeasty,malty aroma is truly serene. I love this classic wheat beer, it's just memories in a bottle. Pretty good clarity for a wheat too (if that's your jam). Perfectly suited to every bucks party you've ever been to.

The Bad: Trying to spell it.

Enjoyment: A good time wheat beer that'll have chanting and spilling drinks in under 90 mins, guaranteed (not a guarantee). Grab a wiener schnitzel, crack that pork knuckle, and tuck in! Paddy and I have enjoyed these brews (and their kin) in many a wee hour, and I must say its one of the classics. There are other German style wheats out there that might be a little better, but this one has a place in our hearts.

You can take away our lives, but they'll never take away our Belhaven Scottish Aaaaaaalllleee!!

The Good: A smooth, easy drinking beer right off the bat. Fairly malt forward, nice caramel type flavours going on. Drank this after eating Shepards pie while I was out working in the garage. Need I go on?

The Bad: Nothing too notable, just a little pedestrian. I think I expected something bigger both flavour and ABV wise.

Enjoyment: I'm not too familiar with the Scottish Ale style outside of a few home brew recipes, but I was pleasantly surprised. The smoothness of this brew stood out to me, and I must say I enjoyed it enough to go around again. Essentially this seems like a less hoppy pale or amber. But certainly in a very deliberate way. Seems like one for the caravan annex sitting around the card table.

An admirable effort at a twist on a classic, this new world pilsner is hopped with three different Hallertau varities, and certainly has a unique flavour profile for a Pilsner.

The Good: I think it's great that Southern Bay have tried to give the pilsner their own unique twist, and there is certainly some interesting hop flavours going on with what would typically be a malt forward brew. The more I sip this beer, the more I get out of it.

The Bad: I guess I'm not much of a pilsner man to be honest, but I just think this is a little plain for me. The effort of adding additional hops is great, but I'm still not getting a lot out of it.

Enjoyment: While I'm sure this would be highly enjoyable to those who are a little shy on the hoppy beer front, for me this just feels like it's lacking on some front. I could quite happily sit on these at a barbie or while dipping a toe in the water, but to be honest, I would probably rather something with a little more flavour. Still an ok beer, and I'm sure quite popular with a lot of Australian beer drinkers, but I guess to be honest I was underwhelmed. That said, I love what Southern Bay do overall and strongly suggest you try their beers for yourself.

Another fine IPA that's far more refined than you might expect with a name like bitterbitch, while still packing a powerful bitter kick to keep you on the hook.

The Good: Huge hop aroma and as per its namesake, a very generous dose of bittering hops. This reminds me of wandering around a party talking to mates, beer in hand. Great tasting, easy drinking, thirst quenching...What more could you want? A really solid beer, and I think a good example of an IPA that shows a lot of the hop character in both aroma AND bittering which is always a good thing in my mind.

The Bad: Nothing really. Anyone who complains it's too bitter needs to read the label again, and take a long hard look at themselves.

Enjoyment: A great brew! Again it's one I've come back to which is always a good sign. I cracked one of these on the weekend after mowing the lawn and it was sheer joy (although even a VB can pull that off after mowing the lawn to be fair). I think for me, it's that incredible aroma when you first crack it open that floods back all those great moments hanging out with friends. Give it a whirl if you're a bit of a hop head, I rate this number pretty highly. I had it again for the review, with a rich bolognese and have to say it worked damn well for me.

Jump into this Southern Ocean Pale Ale head first! Or should I say thirst? Either way, a bloody good pale if that's your jam, and it'll quench even the mightiest of thirsts.

The Good: A nice malt forward pale that really hits the spot. A classic thirst quencher, this is perfectly suited to a post lawn mow Sunday sesh. I first tried this brew a little while ago at Pistol Pete's in Geelong and memory served me well, this is a great ale to sit on when it's one of those lazy afternoons. Very approachable to the commercial lager lover too.

The Bad: This is really a matter of perspective. It's not bad at all in my mind, some people may look for a little more of a hop profile but I personally don't think that's required here. Could be a question of balance, a little more forward on malt and bitterness than other pales perhaps, but honestly it's all very measured, and I think Southern Bay have pulled it off in fine style.

Enjoyment: Another great pale ale. I've come back to this one, and I'm of the opinion that if it's not your first rodeo with a beer, that's always a good indicator of the level of enjoyment. Pairs well with red meat, brisket etc. I honestly just remember trying this for the first time nursing a hangover and eating a sweet sweet american style burger at Pistol Pete's with our mate Dan. From that first sip I'm back there listening to live blues and feeling good (Well enjoying myself at least - Maybe not feeling the greatest...). I love the bitterness that lingers a little, and the nice malt tastes that are quite unique (At least for me they seem that way). This is an easy drinking, very approachable, no frills pale that I personally think hits the spot in just the right way.

A pocket rocket with plenty to warm up those taste buds, this brew is small in name only.

The Good: This ale packs in a lot of flavour for a mid strength. There's a solid malt backbone, a little hop aroma and a light smooth bitterness. This is one for the all day sesh or the designated driver alike.

The Bad: I must admit this does seem to lack a little in some way. I probably would say this is a good occasion beer or if you knew you were in for a big session. Not a bad beer, but certainly not high on my list either.

Enjoyment: I can see a beer like this has it's place, and it's really done an admirable job of packing in as much flavour as this into a mid strength. I could see this going down well on an all day fishing trip or down the beach in the heat. It wouldn't be in my regular rotation but if you're looking for something well on the lighter side (3.5%), give this one a try.

As part of the Bentspoke Drifter Series, Sprocket IPA explores some tropical fruit aromas and a great hop bitterness. Another hoppy number from our nation's capitol.

The Good: This beer surprised me right off the bat, pouring a light golden colour, and with a serious bitterness that doesn't muck around. Tropical fruit jumps out initially, but this quickly moves aside for a little malt profile and some yeasty notes I didn't see coming. The lingering bitterness keeps you coming back for more, and of course this brew features Paddy's personal fave, those mighty Mosaic hops!

The Bad: For my taste, I'd maybe have wanted to shift the hop schedule around a little. The bittering is awesome, but the hop flavour and aroma is left somewhere in the background. I know plenty of people would prefer this, and I certainly do rate the boldness, just not quite to my preferred style.

Enjoyment: I enjoyed this beer, and I'd happily go again. The 7% ABV is nicely matched by that driving force of hop bittering, and I found this made it a very easy drinking beer. I do love an IPA and I like that this is quite a distinguishable beer, I reckon I could maybe even pick it out of a blind taste test (Although...Who knows!). I must say I probably prefer their crankshaft IPA if I'm being fully transparent, but this is still a high quality brew and I say give it a try if you're a bit of a hop fiend.

Full bodied and great hoppy flavours, this is one IPA that ticks all the boxes at a nicely sessionable 4.7%

The Good: Got those great american craft beer vibes going courtesy of those new world hops. There's so much going on in this beer, and it's fresh and bright, with a lingering bitterness that doesn't knock you over, but isn't shy either. Of course I'll rave on about the ABV being low enough to have a few without being destroyed, and that really is the point of this brew. I almost get a little sweetness out of this, but in a really good way, maybe there's some carapils or something like that in the grain bill? Not sure.

The Bad: Not much really. Price is a bit restrictive, and I'm always a little weary of beers being shipped over here, but this tastes great so no real issue. If you've never tried an IPA before, maybe it's a little hoppy for some of the newbies, but then again that's not necessarily a bad thing. On the flip side, if you want face melting bitterness, this might not stand up to your standards, it's bitter but not to a high high degree.

Enjoyment: I must say I really liked this one. It's full of flavour, still has that trusty malt backbone I enjoy, and both the bittering and aroma hops hit the mark for me. Could just as soon knock these back at a dinner party as a BBQ in the sun, and I did manage to sit back in my old rocking chair and play some vinyl while sipping a few of these over the weekend. Bliss.

Highly recommend you give this a go if you want the satisfaction of a great IPA without the heavier alcohol content.

If you're a tragic for the stock standard lagers and want to broaden your horizons a little, this Czech Pilsner is probably a safe bet, light and refreshing, it's a thirst quencher with BBQ written all over it.

The Good: Suited well enough to a BBQ session with the lads, and this has camping written all over it. Some pretty familiar vibes with this Pilsner, and certainly could get a work out around finals footy time. Not much going on in terms of aroma, but pleasant enough taste. If you're a die hard, rusted on VB or Carlton drinker, this wouldn't be too big of a stretch for you.

The Bad: A little on the plainer side. If you're more of the adventurous type with your beer selection, maybe keep on walkin'.

Enjoyment: I guess this is a reasonable representation of the style, but for me it's a little lacking. Maybe I'll give this another crack around September if the Hawks are still alive, else not doing to much for me unfortunately. Not a bad beer by any means, but I'm just not feeling it. I do think it would go nicely with some spicy food though. Low n Slow pork ribs with a spicy molasses sauce anyone?

This is one serious beer my friends. At 8.3%, this double IPA is BIG, yet still keeps you wanting more. You've been warned!

The Good: From that first taste, you're greeted with everything you're looking for in a great IPA, it's hoppy and bitter, with a little maltiness and a nice alcohol kick (yet I still want more after every sip), amazingly this is an exceptionally well balanced IPA. From the hoppy aroma emanating from the glass, I'd have hazarded a guess this was based around Galaxy and Mosaic, but I'd have been dead wrong, apparently this is straight ahead new world baby. And despite being as heavy as Parkway Drive's last album, this beer doesn't suffer from some of the drawbacks other high ABV beers we've tried do (It doesn't taste like shit, for instance). I really could go on, it's good in so many ways. Just trust me, this is a real IPA in my book.

The Bad: It feels like lately I've been Mr. Positive in my reviews, but I'm honestly struggling to fault this delicious beer. I will say this, despite its fantastic taste, at 8.3% it's quite limiting, I certainly won't be sitting on it for an arvo session.

Enjoyment: This is one of those sit up and take notice IPAs. In recent times, it feels like we've been flooded with a huge volume of ho-hum "craft" IPAs, but Pact Beer Co. didn't disappoint, this is a truly magnificent example of how to do an IPA right. It's hoppy and bitter and thirst quenching and boy is it big. It really jumps out from the (overly crowded) pack, and lights up everything an IPA should be. I suspect this could lead to an unintended big night for Paddy and I in the near future, but it's worth it for such a great brew. It takes me back to one of those first times trying an IPA type moments where I was like "where has this been this whole time?". Get on board, I could see myself down the park hotel sipping one of these quite easily, it's a monster but it's well worth it.

A Pale Ale that tantalises your taste buds with a bitterness that is best paired with your favourite barbecue meats for maximum enjoyment.

The Good: I love that moment when you first crack a beer and the head rushes the opening of the can and you immediately catch the aroma that is dispersed into the world at that moment. This is without a doubt an exception, it smells distinctly like a Pale Ale, the fruity aroma you come to associate with a beer like this, hints of what I can only assume are Mosaic (it has a very distinctive scent that I am used to given my love of Pale Ales). Even when poured into a glass this beer is perfectly golden, but not entirely clear. For smell and colour this really is a great combo, but how does it taste I know you are wondering... Well quite simply this is a sharp crisp beer that hits you with just a little bit more than expected bitterness, teasing you with the fact that this is a beer to be enjoyed.

The Bad: I really struggled with finding something I didn't like about this beer. Perhaps it is my bias towards Pale Ales, however to be really really picky I guess you could say it is on the higher end of the bitterness scale, for some this isn't going to appeal. However if you are looking to expand your palettes and move into trying the more intense IPAs and Double Hopped IPAs then this is a great beer to stretch your palette and acquire a real love for a beer like this.

Enjoyment: I gotta be honest, this beer I really enjoyed. I had it after a frustratingly busy day and a heavy workout in the morning that I was paying for and it hit all the right spots. I slowly savoured every drop and I would say at about the halfway mark the flavours I was experiencing were rich and bold in a Pale Ale, that it came to remind me fondly of dining out at those American Barbecue places that have popped up around Melbourne. I guess I say this because most often the beers that are paired with a good smoked brisket or pulled pork have been IPAs or good Pale Ales that balance out the savoury and sweetness from the meats that you are indulging in. It is most certainly a beer that I will get again and enjoy on a much warmer afternoon in my Backyard while the Webber is going.

One for the cold evenings, or in front of an open fire, this porter really lives up to it's name.

The Good: I don't mind a good porter on occasion, and as soon I popped this bad boy open I was greeted with a nice chocolaty, almost stout like aroma. This here is much smoother than a stout, yet as the name suggests, well... robust. The bottle informs me they add a big whack of rolled oats to the grist, which is what give the silken finish.

The Bad: Nothing major, but I did feel like once I got about half way through I was getting something like a watery mouthfeel? Not sure I can describe it well, maybe it'd be fair to say the flavours took me further towards a full blown stout yet the body wasn't quite there. Could it be 'too smooth'?

Enjoyment: Nice winter porter, very relaxing sipping this while playing a Miles Davis LP on a winter's evening. As I've said before, I don't usually go back for more than one dark beer, but this one I definitely could (If I'd actually bought more than one). Really nice chocolate flavours, great malt drive you look for in a porter, and as per the namesake, Robust! Would say this would go great with a chocolate based dessert.

Looking for an IPA that won't blow you out of the water with a high alcohol content? The Yeastie Boys Big Mouth Session IPA might just be for you.

The Good: Big Mouth comes in a sweet looking Yeastie Boys can, and is quite pleasant on first sip. In a weird way, the aroma reminds me of the stronger scent you get while you're dry hopping your home brew, I assume it's just dry hopped within an inch of its life to achieve this effect. Pretty refreshing beer, could certainly have a few of these in the sun.

The Bad: Probably sounds weird, but it's kinda all hops. Even in a heavy IPA you still get some residual malt flavour. This is literally all hop aroma and bitterness. While quite drinkable, just missing that backbone.

Enjoyment: I like it enough to go again, but I guess there's just other beers I'd go to first. Maybe the bitterness is to sharp at the lower ABV, not sure, but it just doesn't quite grab me the way some other lower ABV (yet hoppy) beers do.

One of my personal faves, the Mornington Pale Ale is an easy drinking brew that goes well in any setting.

The Good: Nice citrus hop hit as soon as you crack it open, pours dark golden, goes down easy every time! I rate this beer really highly, it's well balanced and is just so tasty. It's perfect at a bar with mates, out in the sun, or in front of the camp fire. Super approachable which may not appeal to the beer elitists but suits me just fine. Not shy on a little bittering either which is always great.

The Bad: I know not everyone will agree with this, and maybe it's a little simple for some palates, but I really like it. Not a lot I'd change. I guess maybe a little further hop experimentation wouldn't hurt, but it's a really nice brew.

Enjoyment: As I've made abundantly clear, I really enjoy this beer. It'd probably get into a higher rotation in the beer fridge if I was more lazy with my beer selections. Great, approachable, reasonably sessionable beer that is a hit with all I've ever shared it with (And really isn't that what good beer is all about - Sharing?).